Quick Drinks Lead to Long Tales (Ch1)
by TheDoctah
Summary: Shepard's grounded in Vancouver; before and leads up to the events of ME3


01/02/2013

19:17, Tuesday

Shepard leaned against the large window, her arm propped against it, sighing  
_  
I just wish I could talk to someone. Who knew you could miss a ship-and your crew- so much?  
They're all spread apart now, and all my mail is read by the Alliance... Not that it's any different. Miranda went through mine...  
I wonder where Joker is. He wouldn't want to be grounded. Garrus would be on Palaven, Tali with her people... Miranda? Kasumi? In the shadows, hiding, probably. Mordin off helping people or doing some god-knows-what research. While singing that song. What was it again?  
_  
Shepard smiled at the thought of Mordin singing his sings about scientists -and himself- as he worked  
_  
Hmm. Grunt would have gone back to the Urdnot. Wrex would have taken him in for me. Isn't it strange to say I miss a Krogan? Honestly, Aurelia. What's your brain turning to?  
_

Shepard turned as she heard her door slide open behind her.  
"Shepard?" A man's gravelly voice called out, peering in, acting like he didn't see her.  
Smiling at his childish facial expressions, she walked towards her desk.  
"Hey, Vega."  
"how many times have I told you to call me James?"  
James Vega grinned, leaning on her doorframe, showing off his biceps.  
"Yeah, yeah. Shove your big boy muscles in my face, James. What do you want?" Shepard said, sashaying towards him.

_Man, is she hot. No, cute. No- sublime. Beautiful is just too generic. Nice, James. Use big words. And intelligent. And a Great War hero- okay yeah, shut up. Ella es guapa! Que quieres, hombre?  
_

Looking at his watch and back up to her, he said innocently, his eyes pleading.  
"Want to head out to dinner?"  
"What, my guard's letting me leave the facilities? Wow!"  
"Oh, come on. Its been a few days. Ya comin'? I can always find someone else."  
"Oh, don't make me chase. Plus, you wouldn't find anyone as interesting as me to talk to."  
"So I'll take that as a yes?"  
Shepard winked.  
"Let me grab my iD and keys, and we'll head out. Where to today?"  
"I don't know, was thinking Japanese?"  
Shepard playfully took his arm and walked out the door, listening to it swish shut behind her with satisfaction.  
_  
Ah, a day out of prison. A comfortable prison. But a prison.  
_  
"Did you do some research on my favorite foods or…?"  
"Nah, I just listen to you talk. There's one just around the block."

_She is __**so **__not the person people would expect. Hard-driven Commander, but once you let that all go… playful, human person thing who cares about the smallest details. Not a pain in the ass. Not like you would expect her to be, with the haircut, the way of holding her chin high… But man, is she protective when it comes to her crew. Can't say one bad word... like a mother cub. Not bad looking, either. Okay. Clear that thought. She is __**waaaaaay**__out of your league. Get outta here. _

Avoiding a big crowd of people on the way out of the building, they separated, Shepard's head ducked to avoid the stares, her auburn, now almost brown, hair falling over her eyes and the bridge of her nose.

_A new haircut is in order, I think. And some dye. I hate this flat brown. Honestly. It does nothing to bring out the green in my eyes. Only the brown. And Kaidan used to say I had forest green eyes, but really- ... Kaidan. How long... No. I am NOT going to think about him now. I did too much of that on the Normandy. I've had enough of that dark pit to avoid this train of thought. _  
Shepard stopped outside the building, avoiding passer-by and shaking her head lightly to clear her thoughts as she waited for Vega to join her, watching him navigate the crowds with ease.  
"Oh? And when did I ever mention Japanese food?"  
James looked at her, his hazel eyes laughing for him as he said "When you mentioned a Japanese thief you knew who made the best ramen."  
Shepard looked amused, knowing Kasumi would reproach her of getting too close to her identity.  
"I feel like I talk too much. I don't really know anything about you. "  
Vega looked down, marking out the frayed spots on his alliance-assigned trousers, wiping of invisible dirt.  
"Well, I dunno Shepard- You've got a lot more to talk about."  
Shepard grinned coyly, her eyes following the skyscrapers that reached into the darkening blue sky, sky cars and taxis appearing as small as bugs from below.  
"Oh, I highly doubt that."  
"Well, you have all the time in el mundo to find that out, right?"  
Tuning at a corner, Vega pointed out the restaurant.

19.26

It was obviously not frequented by the high-class people who lived around the Alliance Academy, and that suited Shepard just fine.  
"How do you find these places?" She said admiringly, her eyes sweeping over the place with approval.  
_Kaidan found places like these easily. If he were here... I bet he would've found this place in a heartbeat. He loved Japanese too...imagine finding him here. Gah! Why does __**every **__thought lead to him?! _  
"Let's just say I keep an eye out. The grub's cheap _and _good."  
"Then I can say you find the best places to eat." Shepard said, winking mischievously.

Vega blushed slightly, trying to take the praise lightly, glad that she wouldn't see in this dark alleyway.

Walking into the restaurant, Shepard tripped on an uneven step, leading Vega to catch her arm, feeling the toned muscles tense as his arms held her steady.  
"Hey. Thanks... Clumsy old me."  
"Nah. Shoulda warned you about the step. Though I have to say-"  
"Yeah, yeah. Be a gentleman and let me keep my dignity."

Vega laughed, and signaled a waiter to find them a spot, grabbing menus on the way in.

"Wasn't what I was going to say."  
"Oh, really? Hit me with it then."  
"You've got toned muscles for someone out of action."  
Surprise at his unusual comment made a laugh escape her mouth.  
"Hey, being in N7 -and the Alliance- doesn't exactly let you sit around and get fat."  
Sitting down in a semi-lit booth, Shepard noted that all the other customers dark figures against the light- no one was truly in the light.

_Good. A place where everyone minds their own business. And don't point at famous people-  
_

"True, true. How long have you been serving again? 12 years? Gotta get something out of that. "

"Well, you've got some muscles yourself, Macho stalker guy. "

"Was that a feeble attempt to get me to blush? ... if so it's working. Slightly. What are you getting? Ramen here is good, the sashimi too."

Shepard looked up from her menu, the light glinting in her eyes. "Hm. I've always been a sucker for sashimi. You?"  
"I'll go for the ramen today."  
"No fan of fish?"  
"No. Was just raised on carbs, that's all I'm saying."  
"So?"  
" Ma always said it was good for me." Vega said, a mischievous grin appearing on his face.  
"Something tells me you weren't always doing what your ma said was good for you. " Shepard said, tapping her lip.  
"Don't take me for a momma's boy?"  
"Not for a second. C'mon I bet you have some stories while we wait. Plus, it's my turn to find out more about you-"  
"Ha. Alright, alright. Okay. There was this one time-"

A hush overcame the hubbub of the small restaurant as a small group of four or five marines walked in, fading light spilling in from the open door, outlining their muscled figures and the weapons at their sides.

Shepard turned around, wondering why everything and everyone, including Vega, had gone quiet.

"James? What's going on?... I don't like this..." Shepard murmured quietly, her hand reaching to tap his lightly.

"Keep your head down. You want to stay incognito, right? Those are marines, and usually that would be fine but-"

"What?" Shepard hissed, watching his face for a clue.

"There's someone..." Vega quickly changed the sentence, not wanting her to look.  
"they have guns-with them. Don't look. It'll attract attention. In this kind of place, weapons can cause a huge fight. Wait. They'll sit down and we can talk again."

Not liking his tone, she did as he asked.  
_someone important? Huh. Did it go this quiet when I walked in? Must be the guns. In a shady, well kind-of, place like this, who knows what could happen? _

After a short pause, the restaurant seemed to come back to life, the marines having sat down in a dark corner.  
James looked away, and focused on Shepard's face, her no longer tan, pale skin accentuated by the poor light, her eyes riveted on him.

"As I was saying. When I was around 16, I almost ran away from home."  
Her face contorted in shock.  
"Really? I couldn't do that. I'd need to find a space dock or something. I'd be trapped anyhow."  
"Well, I wanted to get off Earth. Bad."  
She cocked an eyebrow, a slow smile spreading on her face as she got hooked to his story, tucking into her meal decorated with sushi and wasabi, watching his face.

"Why?"

"My dad abused my ma and I. Both my parents worked, but he saw himself as the bread maker. "

Shepard frowned- she was expecting silly, juvenile tale. Not this.

"He brought home the pesos. Or so he thought. Until he got fired from his job in this factory. They didn't have enough money to go around paying everyone- so we relied on ma's income. Which wasn't a lot since she was a maid. But he still acted like he was the one bringing home everything."

Vega paused, finding himself not being able to stop the flow of words out of his mouth. He needed someone to know- anyone.

"He was jealous she still had a job- and they started fighting because she contacted some family to bring in more money. He didn't like it. At all. He hated her side of the family, as well as his own...He said it showed weakness, but really? He didn't want the rest of the family to know we were broke. Down to the last penny. He hit her so hard I hit him back, because she never did. I would usually watch and quietly rage. Ma didn't want me to get involved. But this time-Square in the jaw- I did boxing after school and it came in handy. Fist clenched, thumb around. He rammed straight into the wall, and off I ran with my ma calling after me. I was a smart kid- sticking to the alleyways in our part of town would get me killed, so I ran to a friend's... Stayed there for a few weeks, waiting for things to calm down. I slept in his basement, his parents didn't know I was there- so they couldn't fetch either of my parents. "

Shepard grasped one of his hands in hers, feeling his rough calloused hands between her now smooth ones, seeing the pain it caused him to remember, causing her to remember the pain she had gone through- and found herself wanting to protect him. She had gone through a similar pain- and didn't want anyone else to endure that.  
Under that hulk of muscle was a kind, gentle person who needed as much attention as she had needed back on the Normandy. Thoughts and stories like these had ways of festering in the back of your mind until your horrible moments. Moments where nothing is happy, nothing is good.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked..."

"Well... Found something out about me. Did you... Have problems as a kid?"

"Yeah. I guess. Parents were in the military, didn't get to see them much. Until dad died in action. I was- what, about 14? I was already having a bad time at school, and that hit home. Mom was allowed shore leave, and she spent it stuck in her own shell, never coming out. Guess it runs in the family…  
It was a ... hard time. Everyone at school left me alone, but at home- it was like living with a ghost. I had to force her to do normal, menial tasks. I think that's when I started to learn to depend on myself. Alone. It hurt. A lot. Thinking your own mother wouldn't be able to care for you anymore- but that stopped. Once she was back on duty, she got her act together. Since then- we haven't exactly been close. She was never home and I was always working on something or other. We would never fight, there was nothing to fight about. She didn't know anything about my life. And that's how it stayed. Until I enrolled into the Alliance on my birthday. Since then? She's tried. Guess she knew I'd go through a lot. " Rubbing her face with the palm of her hand, she shrugged, her other hand in Vega's, not having noticed how long she'd kept it there.

"Yeah. Losing a parent is hard. Even if you don't see them much. Sorry. Sure he'd be proud of you now. "

"Took a few years to get over, but I'm fine now. Yeah. Guess he would be. " Shepard smiled sadly, looking up as a waiter came with the food, and looking out a window behind him, she saw it was dark.

_How long have we been talking? ... I haven't talked to anyone like this since- _

Vega brought her back to Earth as he squeezed her hand before letting go to eat.  
She blushed slightly, realizing how long she had held his hand.  
_Nice going, Relia. Way to lead a guy on. Well- you know, if you like the guy, it wouldn't be that bad, but- okay, shut up. You're thinking too much. Eat. Pretend nothing happened. _

20.56

Tucking into her sashimi, she said "Got any funny ones to tell? I'm sure you know all of mine-"  
Almost done with his ramen, Vega looked up, his gelled hair shining in the light, noticing half the restaurant patrons had gone.

"Don't think I do, actually. Tell me one. "

Shepard grinned, knowing Garrus would have so much fun telling this one.

"Well, one day I was needing to chase down this diplomat to find a crew mate's son. We had to do an interview, more like a shake down, of this guy who had hired the son. I was bad cop- and this guy was wasting time saying he wanted to see his lawyer. And at one point, I got so annoyed that I said 'We're above the law- if you won't give us anymore information on this drell, I'LL CUT YOUR BALLS OFF AND SELL THEM TO A KROGAN. ... I think that was the shortest interview in history. Ever. "

Vega burst out laughing, not able to help himself as he imagined this scene in front of him.  
"So ... You could say you make history?"  
Shepard grinned "Yeah. One thing I'm good at, I guess. "  
"Hey, want a drink?"  
"Well, Sake isn't really my thing but-"  
"It may be a Japanese restaurant, but they have a mix of drinks. Any preference?"  
" Rinkol. Or Batarian Ale. "

Shepard suddenly felt warm. Too warm.  
_Christ. I need some fresh air. It's getting stuffy in here. _

"Rinkol it is. And a beer, please."

Waving the waiter over once more, he ordered the drinks.  
Looking at the green liquid in her glass as it came, he looked amazed. "You drink that stuff? I heard it burns right through your insides!"  
Moving to go outside through a backdoor in the restaurant, Shepard picked up her glass, signalling Vega to follow her.  
"It does. That's the point."  
Feeling eyes on her back as she moved through the door, she glanced back, her eye catching a figure she thought she knew-

_Who? I- you're seeing things. Just head outside, James is waiting... _

"Shepard? You okay?" His voice said behind her, urging her to move on.

"Yeah, thought I saw someone... Nevermind ."

"Look it's Commander Shepard!"  
"Isn't she held on trial?"  
"Right. So it's just Shepard. "  
"What did she do again?"  
"What's she doing here?"  
"Blew up an entire Batarian system."  
"To stop the Reapers."  
"You think they're actually coming?"  
"Oh, and Cerberus. She worked for them right?"  
"Doesn't stop her from being a hero."  
Kaidan's voice cut through the Marines' babble as they watched her pass.

His heart caught in his throat. He **knew **he had recognized that figure when she'd walked in before them, the movement of her hips, the graceful walk she had mastered effortlessly.

_God. I missed her... As if the months after Horizon didn't prove that .._

His mind suddenly flooded with memories he'd been trying to block out for the past few months. _Ilos, the month in the Terminus Systems, the times spent together, ... When she died, grieving, horizon..._

Maybe I have a chance to talk to her. To apologize. For Horizon- for... everything. Leaving her, because of Garrus and Joker- Petty jealousy - I should've stuck with her. Cerberus or not. Petty thoughts or not. And maybe she wasn't TRULY working for Cerberus. Maybe she's still the woman I knew. Maybe I was wrong, and I have a chance to find out- but what is she doing here? What did the marines say? Batarians? Cerberus? Only she could clear that up- But are either of us the same anymore? 

Kaidan addressed the Marines in front of him. "I'm going to go have some fresh air. It's too stuffy in here. I'm getting a headache. Enjoy yourselves. Think I can leave you boys here responsibly?" he said with a grin, feigning a headache as he put a finger to his temple.

"Yes, sir!" Chorused the men joyously as he left, grinning at each other.

-

21.05

Sitting down at an empty bench nearing the end of the small enclosure, Shepard waved Vega over, patting the free space next to her.

"Sorry. It was getting warm in there."

"No problem. Needed some air too. … So. There a reason why you drink that stuff?" he asked inquisitively, nodding at the drink in her hand.

"Rinkol? Yeah. Let's just say I went through a bad time last year, and the only drink that would hold me up was this one."

"So… what happened?"

**  
Kaidan walked out into the small area cautiously, pausing as he saw her sitting next to a big figure. Fading into the shadows, he watched as the talked, his face growing longer as he realized what they were talking about.

"Well. I'm not sure you want to hear this, but-"

"Well, if you don't want to tell-" They both started, interrupting each other.

Shepard sighed, her head hanging, Vega watching her as her face seemed to grow older.

_I'm not sure… I could break down crying…I… I'll tell him. Someone needs to know. _

"You told me your sad story. I guess I'll tell you mine… kind of sappy, though, if you look at it now."

"Well, I'm open to anything. Don't tell anyone- but I love romance stories!" Vega said, in a stage whisper, surprising another chuckle out of her.

"Okay, okay. You'll love this one, then. Well I'm sure you read through my report? Killed Saren Arterius, month later, I died. 2 years later, I'm alive, brought back by Cerberus, killing Collectors…?"

"Yep. Got that part down."

"Okay, so it starts when the Illusive Man, the Cerberus boss, gives me Intel on a planet, Horizon, with a human colony, telling me I could stop some collectors there. He'd already given me Intel on former crew mates, so I… was with people I knew well. There was only one or two he wouldn't give me information on. Until that day. He told me that on Horizon, I would run into Kaidan Alenko, who was in my crew 2 years prior."  
Shepard rubbed her arm, remembering her exhilaration and nervousness at seeing him again, how even Garrus and was excitedly volunteering to go with her.

"Kaidan Alenko, that guy who's been promoted to Major? He's a biotic, right?"

"Yeah. I haven't watched the news lately, so if he's a Major…I wouldn't know."

"He was a…good man. . You could say he supported me at my down moments, especially when the deaths of crew members became too much to bear." _Ash…_ "He…"

"Meant a lot to you?" Vega volunteered, taking a sip of his drink.

"Yeah. At one point I had to pick him or Ash- Ashley Williams to you- and since then…"

Vega put an arm around her. He knew how it felt to lose a crew member. To his surprise, she didn't shrug him away, instead welcoming the warmth around her shoulders.

"And why did you pick him over her?"

"Because I…. it was a hard choice, believe me… but I chose him because I-"

"…loved him?" Vega suggested gently, not sure if he should push the subject more.

"You could… Yes. I did." There was unmistakable anguish in her voice, practically forcing Vega to hold her against him.

**  
_'I did…?' What does that mean? Does she still…? No. But- _

Kaidan watched from the shadows, restraining himself from moving, a sad smile on his lips. He needed to hear more. _Why is she telling him this- why...who is he? I just…I don't...I don't think I'll be able to take …this. Get a hold of yourself. You can. You need to find this out. _

**

"So, what happened? What did the Alliance say after that?"

Downing her drink, Shepard continued.

"We got…closer. The Alliance commemorated her, and when they asked why, I chose not to answer. They didn't push it. Thank God they didn't. I was already going through a hard time."

Shepard paused, watching her emotions for a minute, not wanting to lose control.

"After that, we killed Saren. He never left my side. Kaidan, I mean. Until I died- and even then…he didn't want to go…"

Shaking his head, Vega said "Must've loved you back, then. Crazy sonofabitch. Love you? I'd be scared you'd die every ten seconds."

Chuckling sadly, Shepard continued. "Maybe. At the time. I don't know anymore. Didn't seem like he did later, though."

Vega tilted his head, looking at her inquisitively, pushing her to keep going.

"… Well, I went to Horizon. To me, the last thing I remembered was saving the pilot… and running out of air. I couldn't grasp that two years had passed… It just didn't seem possible. Two years! It still doesn't…To the crew, I had been dead and gone. They'd drifted apart and Kaidan too… so when I saw him on Horizon, I wasn't sure how to act. Honestly, I wanted to just run up to him and just…stay there. But, I couldn't do that. I didn't know how he would react, I- I was scared. I didn't know how much had changed."

Pausing again, Shepard looked down, folding her arms around herself. _I don't think I'll ever … _

"In the end, I crumbled. I… gave in. I ran up to him and…hugged him… I figured if he didn't want…me to he would push me away. To my surprise, he didn't." _It was so… it was like coming back home after a long voyage. I felt protected… but vulnerable. How does that work? How do I still remember that? Why is this getting so difficult to tell? _

"Why were you surprised?"

"I'd figured that by that time, he would have found someone new. A guy like him…"

"Sure he figured the same, woman like you. Did he know you were in a coma for two years or…" Vega flirted subtly, pausing before asking his question.

"Not until I told him- I think he thought I just hadn't contacted him, which doesn't make sense since I… well. I had to explain that Cerberus brought me back. That I was working _with _them to save human colonies. I would never work for them- but what's the difference? In the end, I was still relying on the Illusive Man for information. It could've all been wrong for all I knew."

"And what did… Kaidan… say? About Cerberus."

Shepard chuckled darkly, her face contorting with old anger and pain, her back going rigid. "Oh, that's the best part."

**

Kaidan winced, his figure going haggard. _I knew that mail wouldn't have been enough. Meeting face to face would've been better, but I doubt she would have wanted to see me, and I think I would've crumbled just as easily. While she was under the influence of Cerberus, those damned bastards. Taking away everything… How can I apologize for.. I don't know if I can even talk to her, she would just ignore me. But…this isn't high school. We're grown adults… but even then… _

**

"First, he stepped away from me- so, I knew that the good moments were over. But I never expected what he would have said next…"

"You sure you want to keep going, because…"

"I guess I have to tell someone, James. Old wounds fester, and I don't want this hanging over me… Shit. I'm sorry. I really shouldn't burden you with this." Shepard started to move, suddenly realising that he probably had had enough of this story.

"No, don't- I want to hear this, Shepard. I _need _to."

Shepard grinned unexpectedly "You _need _to?"

"Yes, so keep going. Por favor?" he said urgently, now having noticed the silent figure lurking in the shadows, and having guessed who it was, he knew that this person would need to feel her pain. He had to.

Shepard exhaled sadly, pushing herself to continue. "Okay…Well, first he stepped back. His entire facial expression changed, as well as his tone… he looked like at first he would regret what he was going to say, but then his facial expression hardened… but then he…he got all formal, and said something around _this _'Shepard. Commander. I'd never be able to join… I'm an Allaince man through and through, always will be. Working for Cerberus… is a betrayal of all we stood for. I need to get my report back to Anderson. Goodbye, Shepard.' That was it… believe me, it was ingrained in my head for… months to come." Shepard's shoulders sagged, and she leaned in towards Vega. _I don't think I'll ever let myself get close to someone like that again. Not if they'll hurt me… _

Vega drew in a long breath, controlling anger that had come over him and watched the lights in the neighbourhood around them turn off one by one.

"So that's when you hit the Rinkol?" Vega shifted vaguely, wanting to see if the hidden figure had heard all of this, felt all of it. It had visibly taken every blow; appearing to have aged, it's slight, toned figure leaned against the wall to keep itself up.

"Yeah. I went through a bad time. I kind of closed myself in, stuck in my own little dark hole of memories. I focused on the mission, and only the mission. Practically didn't get any sleep for a while. Even got a message from him at one point. Ignored it for a while though. Didn't think I could take reading it. Turned out he was apologising, wishing me luck. Wild turn of events, huh? Came out of it though, the dark hole, before I read the message. My moping around wasn't helping anyone. Figured he had a right to think that way, guess I would've too in his position." Shepard sighed, glad her story telling was over. "Just remember…Wisdom comes from pain. No matter what kind."

"Well. That was deep. You've been through a lot."

"Ha. A love story isn't 'a lot'. We've been through worse in the field."

"Don't pretend, Shepard. The worst pain is inside."

"Maybe you're right."

"It's true, whether it's guilt, or betrayal or heartbreak it'll hurt. External wounds heal with time. The ones inside, they can take forever."

"And you're calling me deep."

"I have to say I'm glad you trusted me with that…"

"Well, you shared your story with me earlier, so I figured I'd tell you mine. Though you seem acquainted with pain… what…has this... happened to you?"

"I'm sorry, Shepard. It's a raw wound, I'd rather… not go into it."

Shepard nodded, understanding. "Felt the same at one point… If you need someone to talk to, I'm here."

Vega glanced at his watch once more, using it as an excuse to lean in closer to her.

"Hey, it's ten thirty, what do you want to do?"

"Have we paid?"

"Yeah, I did as you headed out here."

"Oh! Thanks. How much do I owe you?"

"Nothing- consider it my treat."

Vega blushed slightly, his skin darkening in the faint light from inside. "Shepard? I have a…question."

Now nestled against him, Shepard looked up, a foreboding look in her eyes, waiting for him to ask.

"Do you still…love him?"

He felt Shepard go rigid against him, instantly regretting his question.

"I don't know about now, James. I love…_d_ the man he was. If he's changed, I can't say…?

"It's just… I… Uh. Just a curious question. I mean, would you regret it if you uh…"

Shepard felt his nervousness radiating off of him. _This big guy, nervous? The hell? _

"What, James? Technically, he dumped me. He hurt me. So I'm trying to forget about him. What's that to you?"

Vega grinned, his teeth a bright white in contrast to his skin. Taking a long look at the slumped figure in the doorway, he moved in for the kill, facing Shepard's delicate features, placing his left hand gently under her chin.  
"Then you'll forgive me for doing this…"

**


End file.
